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>> representing new york, new york. ♪

["god bless america" plays]

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also representing the coast guard, the coast guard band. ♪

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["o shenandoah" plays] as you have seen from this afternoon, we come from different places and different cultures, but we are one people. [indiscernible] >> mr. president,

congratulations. it is an honor. [indiscernible] >> thank you, guys. appreciate it. thank you, sir. appreciate it.

>> president obama and vice president joe biden, the inaugural parade wraps up as the two prepare for the inaugural balls later this evening. here and c-span, our 2013 coverage will continue, and we will bring you some of the key events from today's and the duration, including the oath of office. the congressional luncheon,, but first we will bring you to the start of the day at st. john paul's epistle church this morning, as the president

attended services at st. john's.

house will be in order. members take their seats, get off the well. members, clear the well, take their seats. the chair lays before the house a communication from the speaker. the clerk: the speaker's room, washington, d.c., january 21, 2013. i hereby appoint the honorable john shimkus to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. signed, john a. boehner, speaker of the house of representatives.

the speaker pro tempore: the prayer will be offered by our chaplain, father conroy. chaplain conroy: lord of the universe, we give you thanks for giving us another day. you are the father of us all, divine providence has led this nation in the past and guides all human affairs to this very day. as a nation, we are in need of wisdom to make right decisions, perseverance to build upon the hopes of your people and patience because at times bear an urgency. so today the american people join congress as we call upon your holy name. we pray for vice president joseph biden and for your servant, barack obama, our re-elected 44th president of

these united states. may your holy spirit descend upon him that he may see things as you see things. may he be strengthened in his work and grow in understanding as he proves ever attentive to the people. may we respond to the nation's deepest needs and lift up all of us to higher standards of equal justice, true goodness and peaceful union. grant him health and protection, sincere collaboration and renewed faith. lord, may the people of this nation and those around the world stand with him to face any challenge, endure any difficulty without fear, learn how to accept every success and every failure with grace and support him with encouragement

and prayer both now and forever. amen. the speaker pro tempore: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house his approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1 the journal stands approved. the pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentleman from illinois, mr. hultgren. mr. hultgren: please join me in honoring our great nation. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the speaker pro tempore: the chair announces that in order to be seated on the platform, sitting members of the 113th congress must have an official pen which they will be given as they leave the chamber. members are advised there are no extra seats available on the platform. therefore, only sitting members

will be seated on the platform. under no circumstances will former members, former house officers, spouses or children be able to join the procession or be seated on the platform. the sergeant at arms will proceed the procession bearing the mace. members will be escorted to the west terrace in order of sen. at this time the members, the resident commissioner and delegate should congregate in the well by class.

the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to house resolution 21, upon completion of the ceremony, the house will stand adjourned until 10:00 a.m. tomorrow for morning hour debate. pursuant to house resolution 21, members will now proceed to the west front to attend the inaugural ceremony for the president and the vice president of the united states.

>> ladies and gentlemen, the vice president, joseph biden, senate majority leader, and house democratic leader nancy pelosi.

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>> sergeant at arms house, sgt of arms, senator charles schumer, lamar alexander, john boehner, harry reid, reidcantor, -- eric cantor, and nancy pelosi.

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>> the chairman of joint committee, and the are honorable charles e. schumer. >> members of congress, all who

are present and to all who are watching. welcome to this celebration of our great democracy. this is the 57th inauguration of an american president. no matter how many times to witness this event it is the trusting of power from we the people to our chosen leader never fails to make one's heart beat faster as it will today with the inauguration of president barack obama. we would not be here today if it were not for those who stand

guard around the world. to those in our armed forces we offer our infinite thanks for your bravery. your honor. if your sacrifice. this democracy of ours was forged by intellect and argument, by activism and blood. from john adams to martin luther king by a stubborn adherence to the notion that we are all created equal and that we deserve nothing less than a great republic were the of our consent. the theme of this inaugural is "the face of america's future."

this is an event from our past. i speak of the improbable completion of the capitol dome and capping it with a statue of freedom that occurred 150 years ago in 1863. when abraham lincoln took office, it was i have built eyesore. commissioner wisdom is that it should be left unfinished until the war ended. to president lincoln the half finished dome symbolize they have divided notion. lincoln said it people see the capital going on its is a sign we intend the union shall go on. despite the conflict which engulfed the nation, surrounded the city, and the dome continue

to rise. on december 2 comment the statue of freedom was placed atop the dome where she still stands today. it was a former slave who helped cast the statute. our present times are not as airless. in 2013, far too many doubted the future of the nation and our ability to attack our own half finished domes. times are so complex. differences in the country and the world are so deep. we will never overcome them. thoughts like these produce anxiety, fear, and despair. we do well to remember that americans have always been and still are a practical,

optimistic, problem solving people. no matter how steep the climb, how difficult the problems, how have finished the tasks, america always rises to the location. america prevails. america prospers. and those who bet against this country have inevitably been on the wrong side of history. it is a good moment to gaze upward and behold the statue of freedom at the top of the capitol dome. it is a good moment to gain strength and courage and humility from those who were determined to complete the half finished down. it is a good moment to rejoice at this 57 inaugural ceremony. it is the perfect moment to

renew our collective face in the future of america. thank you. god bless the united states. . i would like to introduce merlie he was extended the promise of a nation's founding principles. she will lead the nation in the invocation.

>> we are here on this day january the 21st 2013. the inauguration of our 45th president for barack obama. we, at this time to ask lessons upon our leaders, president, vice president, members of congress all elected and appointed officials of the united states of america. we are here to ask blessings upon all who contribute to the essence of the american. . the opportunity to become whatever in mankind or womenkind allows us to be.

this is the promise of america. let's act upon team meeting that everyone is included. it may be inherent dignity and in alienable rights of every warming, a man, boy, and girl be honored. make all your people, especially the least of these flourished in our blessed nation. 150 years after the emancipation proclamation and 50 years after the march on washington we celebrate the. of our ancestors. it is a nation of on bormann hopes and a history of this enfranchised folks to the

suppression of a more perfect union. we ask that where our past was riddled by pangs of despair and depression, we ask for your guidance toward the light of delivery and that the vision of those who came before us and in dreamed of this day, that we recognize their vision still inspire us. they are unseen by the naked eye. all around us, thankful that they are living was not in vain. for every mountain, you gave us the strength to climb.

your grace continues that climb for america and the world. we now stand beneath the shadow of the nation's capital whose golden dome reflects the unity and democracy of one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all. approximately 4 miles from where we are assembled the hallowed remains of men and women rest in arlington cemetery. they who believed fought and died for this country. made their spirits and use our being to work together with respect, and in enabling us to continue to build this nation and in so doing we send a message to the world that we are ierce and ourpear

strength. milly dowler grant us the will to act graciously agreed to meet you grant as the act to -- make you a grant as the will to act graciously. please continue to bless these efforts, to lead by example in consideration in favor of the diversity of our people. bless our families. we thank you for this opportunity of prayer to strengthen us through the journeys of the days that lie ahead. we invoke the prayers of our

grandfathers who taught us to pray. god make me a blessing. make the. guide us as we claim the spirit of old. there is something with an mean that holds the reins. there's something with any that banishes pain. there is something with in me i cannot explain. all i know is that there is something within. there is something went in. in jesus' name and the name of all who are wholly and right, we pray. amen.

>> i am pleased to introduce the award winning tabernacle choir, the brooklyn tabernacle choir, 2 same "battle hymn of the republic -- to sing "battle hymn of the republic."

glory, glory, hallelujah! glory, glory, hallelujah! glory, glory, hallelujah! his truth is marching on.mine eyes have seen

the glory of the coming of the lord: he is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; he hath loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword: his truth is marching on. i have seen him in the watch- fires of a hundred circling camps, they have builded him an altar in the evening dews and damps; i can read his righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps: his truth is marching on. glory, glory, hallelujah! glory, glory, hallelujah! glory, glory, hallelujah! his truth is marching on.in the beauty of the

lilies christ was born across the sea, with a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me: as he died to make men holy, let us live to make men free, while god is marching on. he is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave, he is wisdom to the mighty, he is succour to the brave, so the world shall be his footstool, and the soul of time his slave, our god is marching on.glory, glory, hallelujah! glory, glory, hallelujah! glory, glory, hallelujah! his truth is marching on. marching on

glory, glory, hallelujah! glory, glory, hallelujah! glory, glory, hallelujah! his truth is marching on. marching on. our god is marching on.

and please join me in welcoming the senator from tennessee, and the honorable lamar alexander. >> mr. president, mr. vice president, ladies and gentlemen. the late author of a roots lived his life by these six words, find the good and praise it. today we praise the american tradition of transferring or reaffirming the immense power and the inauguration of the president of the united states. we do this in a peaceful and orderly way. there is no insurrection.

this is a moment when millions stop and watch. a moment most of us always will remember. it is a moment's that is our most conspicuous and enduring symbol of the american democracy. how remarkable that this has survive for so long. and such a complex country, when so much power is at stake. this freedom to vote for our leaders. last year a tour guide told me that our first president, and george washington won'once posed this question, what is most important of this grand experiment? in washington answered his own question.

not the election of the first president but the election of its second president the peaceful transfer of power. today we celebrate the 57th inauguration of the american president. find a good and praise it. it is my honor to introduce sonia sotomayor.

>> mr. vice president, please raise your right hand and repeat after me. i do solemnly swear that i will support and defend the constitution of the united states. against all enemies foreign and domestic. but i take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of of of asian and that i will faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which i am about to enter. >> of the duties of the office

of which i'm about to enter. >> congratulations. >> it is my pleasure to ensure introduced james taylor.

>> oh beautiful for spacious skies for ambver waves of grain for purple mountainsnmajesty above the fruited plain america america god shed his grace on thee and crown they good with brotherhood

from sea to shining sea from sea to shining sea ♪ >> it is my honor to present the chief justice of the united states john g roberts junior. everyone please rise.

solemnly swear -- >> i, barack hussein obama, do solemnly swear -- >> that i will faithfully execute -- >> that i will faithfully execute -- the united states -- >> the office of president of the united states -- >> and will, to the best of my -- >> preserve, protect, and defend -- united states -- united states -- >> so help me god. >> congratulations, mr. president.

>> ladies and gentlemen, it is my great privilege and distinct honor to introduce the 44th president of the united states

of america, barack h. obama. chief justice, members of the united states congress, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens -- each time we gather to

inaugurate a president we bear witness to the enduring strength of our constitution. we affirm the promise of our democracy. colors of our skin or the tenets of our faith or the origins of our names. what makes us exceptional -- what makes us american -- is our allegiance to an idea articulated in a declaration made more than two centuries ago: "we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with

certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." today we continue a never- ending journey to bridge the meaning of those words with the realities of our time. for history tells us that while these truths may be self- self- executing; that while freedom is a gift from god, it here on earth. (applause) the patriots of 1776 did not fight to replace the tyranny of a king with the privileges of a few or the rule of a mob.

they gave to us a republic, a government of, and by, and for the people, entrusting each generation to keep safe our founding creed. and for more than two hundred years, we have. through blood drawn by lash and principles of liberty and equality could survive half- slave and half-free. we made ourselves anew, and vowed to move forward together. together, we determined that a modern economy requires railroads and highways to speed travel and commerce, schools and colleges to train our

workers. free market only thrives when vulnerable, and protect its people from life's worst hazards and misfortune. through it all, we have never relinquished our skepticism of central authority, nor have we succumbed to the fiction that all society's ills can be cured through government alone. and enterprise, our insistence on hard work and personal responsibility, these arebut we have always understood founding principles requires new freedoms ultimately requires collective action.

for the american people can no more meet the demands of today's world by acting alone than american soldiers could have met the forces of fascism or communism with muskets and militias. we'll need to equip our children roads and networks and researchnow, more than ever, we must do these things together, as one nation and one people. (applause) this generation of americans has been tested by crises that steeled our resolve and proved our resilience. a decade of war is now ending. (applause) an economic recovery has begun.(applause) america's we

possess all the qualities that this world without boundaries demands: youth and drive; diversity and openness; an endless capacity for risk and a gift for reinvention. that our country cannot succeed when a shrinking few do very make it. (applause) broad shoulders of a risingwe know that america thrives brink of hardship. an american; she is free, and she is equal, not just in the(applause)

we understand that outworn programs are inadequate to the needs of our time. so we must harness new ideas and technology to remake our government, revamp our tax code, reform our schools, and empower our citizens with the skills they need to work harder, learn more, reach higher.

but while the means will change, our purpose endures: a nation that rewards the effort and determination of every single american. that is what this moment requires. that is what will give real meaning to our creed. we, the people, still believe that every citizen deserves a basic measure of security and dignity. we must make the hard choices to reduce the cost of health care and the size of our deficit. but we reject the belief that america must choose between caring for the generation that built this country and investing in the generation that will build its future.(applause) our past, when twilight years were spent in poverty and parents of a child with a disability had nowhere to turn. we do not believe that in this country freedom is reserved for

the lucky, or happiness for the few. responsibly we live our lives, any one of us at any time may face a job loss, or a sudden illness, or a home swept away in a terrible storm. the commitments we make to each other through medicare and medicaid and social security, these things do not sap our initiative, they strengthen us. (applause) they do not make us a nation of takers; they free us to take the risks that make this country great. (applause) we, the people, still believe that our obligations as americans are not just to

ourselves, but to all posterity. we will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations. (applause) some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires and crippling drought and more powerful storms. the path towards sustainable sometimes difficult. but america cannot resist this transition, we must lead it. we cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries, we must claim its promise. that's how we will maintain our

economic vitality and our national treasure -- our forests and waterways, our crop lands and snow-capped peaks. that is how we will preserve our planet, commanded to our care bythat's what will lend meaning to the creed our fathers once declared. lasting peace do not require perpetual war. (applause) our brave men and women in uniform, tempered by the flames of battle, are unmatched in skill and courage. (applause) our citizens, seared by the memory of those we have lost, paid for liberty. the knowledge of their sacrifice will keep us forever vigilant against those who would do us harm. but we are also heirs to those

enemies into the surest of friends -- and we must carry those lessons into this time as well. we will defend our people and uphold our values through strength of arms and rule of law. we will show the courage to try and resolve our differences with other nations peacefully - not because we are naïve about the dangers we face, but because engagement can more durably lift suspicion and fear. (applause) america will remain the anchor of strong alliances in every corner of the globe. and we will renew those institutions that extend our capacity to manage crisis abroad, for no one has a greater stake in a peaceful world than its most powerful nation. we will support democracy from asia to africa, from the americas to the middle east, because our interests and our conscience compel us to act on

behalf of those who long for freedom. and we must be a source of hope to the poor, the sick, the marginalized, the victims of prejudice - not out of mere charity, but because peace in our time requires the constant advance of those principles that our common creed describes: tolerance and opportunity, human dignity and justice. we, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths - that all of us are created equal - is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through seneca falls, and selma, and stonewall; just as it guided all those men and mall, to hear a preacher say that we cannot walk alone; to hear a king proclaim that our individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul on earth. (applause) it is now our generation's task

began. for our journey is not complete equal to their efforts. (applause) our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law - (applause) -- for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well. (applause) our journey is not complete

until no citizen is forced to wait for hours to exercise the right to vote. (applause) our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see america as a land of opportunity -- (applause) -- until bright young enlisted in our workforce rather than expelled from our country. (applause) our journey is not complete until all our children, from the streets of detroit to the hills lanes of newtown, know that they are cared for and cherished and always safe from harm. that is our generation's task -- to make these words, these rights, these values of life and liberty and the pursuit of

happiness real for every american. being true to our founding documents does not require us to liberty in exactly the same way or follow the same precise path to happiness. progress does not compel us to settle centuries-long debates about the role of government for all time, but it does require us to act in our time. (applause) for now decisions are upon us and we cannot afford delay. we cannot mistake absolutism for principle, or substitute spectacle for politics, or treat name-calling as reasoned debate. (applause) we must act, knowing that our

work will be imperfect. we must act, knowing that today's victories will be only partial and that it will be up to those who stand here in four years and 40 years and 400 years hence to advance the timeless spirit once conferred to us in a spare philadelphia hall. my fellow americans, the oath i have sworn before you today, like the one recited by others who serve in this capitol, was an oath to god and country, not party or faction. and we must faithfully execute of our service. but the words i spoke today are not so different from the oath that is taken each time a soldier signs up for duty or an

immigrant realizes her dream. my oath is not so different from the pledge we all make to the flag that waves above and that fills our hearts with pride. they are the words of citizens and they represent our greatest hope. you and i, as citizens, have the course. you and i, as citizens, have the obligation to shape the debates of our time -- not only with the votes we cast, but with the voices we lift in defense of our most ancient values and enduring ideals. (applause) let us, each of us, now embrace with solemn duty and awesome joy what is our lasting birthright. with common effort and common

purpose, with passion and dedication, let us answer the call of history and carry into an uncertain future that precious light of freedom. thank you. god bless you, and may he forever bless these united

states of america. (applause) >> accompanied by the united states marine band. my country tis of thee sweet land of liberty if thee i sing

land where my fathers died lad of the pilgrim's pride from every mountain side let freedom ring ♪ let music swell the beach and ring from all the trees sweet freedom songs let silence break the sound prolonged ♪ our father guide to thee

father of liberty to thee we sing ♪ long may our land be bright with freedom's holy light protect us by the might great god, our king ♪ ♪

>> wow. our next distinguished guest is the appellate issue will share with us where -- poet who will share with us words he has composed for this occasion. one sun rose on us today, kindled over our shores,

peeking over the smokies, greeting the faces of the great lakes, spreading a simple truth across the great plains, then charging across the rockies. one light, waking up rooftops, under each one, a story told by our silent gestures moving behind windows.

my face, your face, millions of faces in morning's mirrors, each one yawning to life, crescendoing into our day: pencil-yellow school buses, the rhythm of traffic lights, fruit stands: apples, limes, and oranges arrayed like rainbows begging our praise. silver trucks heavy with oil or paper bricks or milk, teeming over highways alongside us, on our way to clean tables, read ledgers, or save lives to teach geometry, or ring-up groceries as my mother did for twenty years, so i could

write this poem. all of us as vital as the one light we move through, the same light on blackboards with lessons for the day: equations to solve, history to question, or atoms imagined, the "i have a dream" we keep dreaming, or the impossible vocabulary of sorrow that won't explain the empty desks of twenty children marked absent today, and forever. many prayers, but one light breathing color into stained glass windows, life into the faces of bronze statues, warmth

onto the steps of our museums and park benches as mothers watch children slide into the day. one ground. our ground, rooting us to every stalk of corn, every head of wheat sown by sweat and hands, hands gleaning coal or planting windmills in deserts and hilltops that

keep us warm, hands digging trenches, routing pipes and cables, hands as worn as my father's cutting sugarcane so my brother and i could have books and shoes. the dust of farms and deserts, cities and plains mingled by one windour breath. breathe. hear it through the day's gorgeous din of honking cabs, buses launching down avenues, the symphony of footsteps, guitars, and screeching subways, the unexpected song bird on your clothes line. hear. squeaky playground swings, trains whistling, or whispers across café tables, hear: the doors we open for each other all day, saying: hello, shalom, buon giorno, howdy, namaste, or buenos días in the language my mother taught me in every language spoken into one wind carrying our lives without prejudice, as these words break from my lips. words break from my lips.